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Bartronica: Lair Of The Barcadian

August 4, 2015 By ausretrogamer

After a hard days work, where does one go to quench their thirst and get a fix of gaming nostalgia? That’s an easy one to answer – you make your way to Bartronica, a city barcade establishment at 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

Nestled between Elizabeth and Queen (streets), the barcade is in the perfect spot in Melbourne’s Central Business District. The entry to Bartronica is via downward stairs, and upon entry, the establishment is revealed in all of its glory, beginning with the well stocked bar. Speaking of which, there are plenty of beverages which would definitely quench your hard earned thirst. As you down your drink, you notice the upright arcade machines; NBA Jam, Street Fighter II, The Simpsons, Mortal Kombat II, Golden Axe and 1943, and these are just the tip of the iceberg – there are plenty more upright machines jostling for your attention. It doesn’t end there, the venue also has driving and shooting cabinets plus six great pinball tables to get you flippin!

For those seeking comfort, Bartronica also has cool lounges for you to sit and take a load off. If you like to play from the comfort of the lounge, there are old school consoles from Sega and Nintendo which are free to play! The consoles provide a fun way to challenge your friends in some awesome multiplayer gaming action, like Super Mario Kart 64, all while kicking back and sipping on a drink.

With their wonderful hospitality, Bartronica makes everyone feel welcome – it is the kind of place where you would visit quite frequently, on your own or with friends. So the next time you are in the city and in need of a watering hole with a twist, then head on over to Bartronica, you’ll have a blast!

Entering the lair of the barcadian

Anticipation builds, one step at a time!

Hello Bartronica!

What is your poison?

In the driver’s seat, Bartronica owner – Josh Flamank

What to play first?

TMNT it is!

A row of beauties begging to be played

Retro Domination’s Daz Retro hits Ninja Gaiden

Daz Retro gets hacking on Golden Axe!

Behind the bar

Working up a serious thirst!

Taking a load off with Super Mario Kart 64!

Run out of coins? Don’t stress, whack in some notes

The view from the deck

Hello Lisa!

Getting some 16-bit action

Playing some Sonic from the comfort of the plush lounge

Cool light artwork!

Golden Axe immortalised on the wall

Hang on a second, there’s pinballs over there!

There they are – glorious pinball!

Demolishing Demolition Man

Retro Domination’s Matt Cawley gets flippin on Fastbreak!

Matt has silver ball fever!

Drinking + playing = a good night

Action aplenty!

Retro Domination Street Fighter II Battle: Daz Retro vs Matt Cawley!

Venue: Bartronic – Arcade Bar
Address: 335 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

The History of Mario’s Power-Ups

June 8, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

The Super Mario Bros. Tree of Power
Image source: Nintendo Enthusiast

Watch Jason from Nintendo Enthusiast take us through the history of Mario’s power-ups starting from the very first mushroom in Super Mario Bros. all the way to the cat suit from Mario 3D World.

Source: Nintendo Enthusiast on YouTube

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Interactive Family Tree Of Retro Controllers

May 19, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

John Kowalski (Sock Master) has created an awesome interactive retro controller family tree which takes us from Atari 2600 and Intellivision to PS3 and Wii controllers. Click on the pictures in the tree and you will find out key information about each controller – for example, the Atari 2600 controller was first released in 1977 and was sold until about 1991! While the WaveBird is notable for being the first wireless first-party controller.

As Sock Master describes:

‘I’ve put together a chart, or controller family-tree, that tries to connect all the current console controllers with their predecessors… a lot of the information presented here is my opinion. I try to keep things accurate, using facts that I know, but also making some of my own conclusions where no hard evidence is available…

There are still a number of gaps in the family tree, as a lot of controllers are still missing from the chart. Eventually, I will try to fill in some of the holes. Current things that are missing are controllers I couldn’t get my hands on, controllers from less popular consoles, and most of the 8-bit era.’

Sock Master’s Interactive Retro Controller Family Tree

Source: Sock Master via Geekologie

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Insert Coin To Play: Geeky Coins And Tokens

May 15, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Image source: CSA

We all love having a pocket full of coins and tokens to feed our arcade addiction, but you may be reluctant to part with these treasures.

Club Nintendo Commemorative Coins:
The Year Of Luigi & Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary
Image source: Nintendo Life & Nintendo Life Forums

Nintendo Power 100th Issue Commemorative Coins
Image source: Ripten

1982 World’s Fair Arcade Tokens
Image source: Video Games Memorabilia Museum (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Ms Pac-Man)

SegaWorld Sydney Token
Image source: Video Games Memorabilia Museum

Time-Out Arcade Tokens
Image source: Dork Dimension

Chuck E. Cheese Arcade Tokens
Image source: Dork Dimension

Assorted Arcade Tokens
Image source: Classic Plastic

Image source: Boing Boing

Pikachu Coin For The Polynesian Nation Of Niue
Image source: Numista

Doctor Who Coins By The Perth Mint Australia

Batman & Superman Coins
Image source: Royal Canadian Mint & Royal Canadian Mint

Star Trek Coins For Island Of Tuvalu
Image source: The Perth Mint via Geekologie

Star Wars Coins For The Polynesian Nation Of Niue
Image source: New Zealand Mint via Geekologie

World Of Warcraft CoinsImage source: Amazon (Alliance & Horde)

Coin Paintings by Andre Levy
Image source: Tales You Lose via Toxel

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Mama Mia: Mario Kart IRL

April 24, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Mama Mia! The clever engineers of Waterloo Labs have created an incredible real-life Mario Kart track with a functional item system.

They explain: ‘The goal of this project is to recreate Nintendo’s Mario Kart game in real life. This involves building a system to control the movements of a full sized go-kart as well as a wireless communication system. The end result is a go-kart system where each player can race around a track and pick up items that alter the behaviors of the go-karts’.

Video source: Waterloo Labs on YouTube

I know you are probably itching to rush out to find this amazing track, but sadly it was only a temporary set up. However, all is not lost – the guys provide detailed information on how to build your own (please be sure to let us know if you do!).

And don’t forget to check out their other projects such as the Kinect-a-Sketch and the Eye controlled Mario.

Source: Waterloo Labs via Mashable

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Time For Some Retro Recycling

April 22, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

What should you do when your console dies and goes to console-heaven? Take a leaf out of Michael Chipper’s book and recycle it into a cool clock!

Game Boy Colour Clock

PlayStation Clock

PS3 Clock

Game Boy Clock

Nintendo Wii Clock

Xbox 360 Clock

PS2 Clock

Xbox Clock

Source: SlothJunk on Etsy via Cheezburger

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

‘Man at Arms’ Makes Link’s Hylian Shield

April 15, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Watch the Man at Arms: Reforged team of blacksmiths and craftspeople from Baltimore Knife and Sword (Maryland’s premiere shop for stage combat weaponry) make an absolutely beautiful replica of Link’s Hylian Shield.

Source: AWE me on YouTube

Source: AWE me on YouTube via Geekologie, DEFY Media

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Easter Retro Gaming Hunt At The Amazing Mill Markets

April 6, 2015 By ausretrogamer

While kids everywhere were busying themselves on their Easter egg hunt, Ms. ausretrogamer and I were busy going on a different kind of Easter egg hunt. On our way to Queenscliff, we decided to pop in at the amazing Mill Markets in Geelong to see what was on offer. Upon entering the market, we knew we had hit the jackpot – there were all kinds of antiques, memorabilia and collectables to discover, from books and vinyl records, to toys and classic video games. We’ll let the photos below show the breadth of cool stuff that was on offer at the market.

What started as a quick visit turned into a three-and-a-half hour hunt – the Mill Markets is the kind of place you need to take your time to look in each stall and search for that little gem that others may have passed in their haste. Our nostalgic senses were in overdrive as we found items of interest in almost every stall!

There were retro games and systems aplenty, with most items being at reasonable prices. We were pleasantly surprised to discover retro gaming gear in a number of stalls on the ground floor and the mezzanine – obviously, our go slow and meticulous hunting plan paid off. The temptation to walk out with a boot full of stuff was hard to resist! I did manage to buy a few items, with the Milton Bradley Berzerk board game being my favourite of the lot.

If you happen to like going to vintage markets, even for a look, then Ms. ausretrogamer and I highly recommend The Mill Markets. There are three Mill Markets in Victoria – in Daylesford, Ballarat and Geelong (Newcomb). Best part is, they are all open 7 days a week from 10am till 6pm. What are you waiting for, go hunting!

1Up Living: Furniture And Homewares For Geeks

April 2, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

1Up Living makes and sells furniture and homewares for geeks – pixel art chopping boards, coffee tables, pixel wall art and Tetris shelves! But if you prefer to DIY – they also provide step by step guides, see here and here.

Chopping Boards

Coffee Tables

Pixel Wall Art

Tetris Shelves

Source: 1Up Living via @thinkgeek

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Retrogaming Toasters, The Best Thing Since The Breadbin

March 24, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Retrogaming toasters – why not! Whether you want to play video games on your toaster, cook crumpets with your retro console, or decorate your bread with video game characters, there’s a product for you! Let’s start with the Super Nintoaster.

Super Nintoaster

As the name suggests, the Super Nintoaster is a Super Nintendo crammed inside a toaster – wow! Inventor Stupid Fingers explains it is ‘built from nothing more than a Super NES, a toaster, four different types of adhesives, magnets ripped from a broken hard drive, six orange LEDs, a bunch of resistors, plexiglass, and many many spare wires’.

Source: Stupid Fingers via Geekologie

Nintoaster and Nintoaster II

Just as awesome as the Super Nintoaster is its predecessors the Nintoaster and the Nintoaster II also made by Stupid Fingers.

Source: Stupid Fingers Nintoaster, Stupid Fingers Nintoaster II

But if you are feeling hungry, these actual toasters may be more to your liking – some are real products you can buy!

Super NES Toaster

How I wish the ‘Super Toast Retro Bread System’ was one of the real products, but alas – it appears to have been a 2012 April Fool’s Day joke.

Source: Spinning Hat via Bit Rebels

Space Invaders Toastie Machine

Chris Naylor designed this awesome Space Invaders Toastie Machine in response to a ‘retro Christmas gift’ brief during a one week industrial project in collaboration with M&S. Someone needs to manufacture this ASAP!

Source: Chris Naylor on Coroflot via Remove the Labels

Nintendo Console Toaster

While I’m happy with a toaster being sacrificed to house a console, I’m not sure I am happy about the reverse. It’s a good thing then, that this NES toaster is just a (fantastic) artwork (phew!).

Source: Deviant Art – My Burning Eyes via The DIY Adventures

Hello Kitty Toaster

At last, here is a real product you can actually buy! Your day is sure to go well if you start it with a piece of Hello Kitty toast.

Source: Via Japan Newbie

Darth Vader Toasters

Bread, give yourself to the Dark Side.

Source: Think Geek, Amazon

Keyboard Waffle Iron

And there’s even something for PC gamers – a keyboard waffle iron, yum! This is actually one of artist Chris Dimino’s works looking at giving new life the now useless typewriter.

Source: Chris Domino via Slippery Brick

VHS Toaster

Finally, if you are into DIY, you can make your very own cool VHS toaster. Just follow Instructables member Lemonie’s instructions. Lemonie was inspired by this clip from the classic British comedy ‘The Young Ones‘.

Source: Instructables

Watch it in action:

Source: YouTube

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Editor and Researcher at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

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